Creative Circuit ep. 02 set to return to Valletta in April

Image courtesy of Te fit-Tazza

The Malta Creative Collective has announced the second edition of its Creative Circuit, which is set to take place across Valletta on 5 April 2019 from 6pm.

Bringing together both Maltese and international creative talent as well as well-known and off-the-beaten-track venues, Creative Circuit ep. 02 shall be a celebration of what the collective believes in the most - collaboration.

Who's involved? La Bottega Art Bistro, SON Architecture, Valletta Design Cluster and Cru Wine Bar, along with the creativity of Elsa Allen, Inigo Taylor, Gulja Holland, Daphne Bugeja, Sergio Muscat, JAD, Robbie Mazzaro and Margerita Pulè.

As you stroll across our capital and into 5 different venues, you'll have the chance to discover lesser-known corners of the capital (including one of its oldest surviving bakeries), marvel at live sketching and have a drink (or two).

For further details, visit www.maltacreativecollective.com.

The history of Carnival in Malta

March has kicked off with the vibrancy of Carnival, which has filled the streets of Valletta with show-stopping outfits and floats of every shape, form and colour imaginable.

The word ‘carnival’ originates from the Italian phrase‘Carne vale’, which literally means ‘meat is allowed’, for during Lent, meat consumption was prohibited by the Roman Catholic church and carnival was a way of celebrating ahead of the austerity.

Historically in Malta, Carnival can be traced back to the early 1400s, where we find the Università issuing directives about the selling price of meat during carnival.

Encouraged by the Grand Masters of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (1530-1798), Carnival declined in the 19th century, although it managed to survive the period of British rule (1800-1964) and has thus been handed down in an almost unbroken tradition of about six centuries.

Today, many traditions remain true to their roots – defined by loud, colourful parties in Nadur (in Malta’s sister island of Gozo) and colourful parades and floats through the streets of Valletta.

Valletta hosts the first Malta International Photo Award exhibition

The recently-launched Malta International Photo Award is a photo award that strives to showcase and promote the very best photography from across the globe. Earlier this weekend, an exhibition showcasing the top 15 submission for the 2018 edition was unveiled.

Currently running at the Malta Postal Museum in Valletta, the exhibition shines a spotlight on the judges’ top picks from the categories of Cities, Nature, People, Abstract and Storytelling.

Running until March 16, 2019. Admissions fee of €5 for adults and €3 for children.

Malta Postal Museum, 35 Archbishop St, Valletta

International Baroque Festival returns to Valletta and beyond

The seventh edition of the Valletta International Baroque Festival officially launched on 11 January 2019; a festival that has in a few short years captured the imagination and support of an ever-growing public.

The Festival will again this year venture out of Valletta to other baroque venues including Mdina, the old Siculo-Norman capital, Birgu and Senglea which lie across the Grand Harbour from Valletta and form part of The Three Cities; and Rabat, Ghaxaq, Qrendi and Zejtun – all boasting exquisite examples of Malta’s baroque heritage.

This is what makes this festival so special. Listening to a great Handel or Bach work in a black box may be edifying enough, however it will never attain the magic of being set in a cathedral that is a heraldic and hagiographic paean to the glory of the most illustrious chivalric order the world has ever known.

The Festival shall run until 26 January 2019.